Wednesday, April 30, 2008

THE JIMMER NEEDS A BIG SLICE OF HUMBLE PIE...



The Jimmer's new forum is back up, and as I read his latest post on his blog today, there was one sentence that speaks volumes to me of a rather narcissistic personality:

"Special thanks to Amy at the Eating Low forum as well as Tom at the Low-Carb Friends forum for opening the doors to their respective sites over the past few weeks to my forum members who were going through withdrawals without their favorite forum." (bolding and underscoring mine)


Well, that's a rather back-handed, disingenous "thank you," Jimmer.

Why didn't you just say, "Hey, thanks a bunch for letting my members hang out at your second-rate fora while my forum, their very most favorite one in the whole wide world, was down"?

Humble pie, Jimmer. Humble pie.





Link:
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/

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VIVA LAS VEGAS, KIMMER !!!



Well, Kimmer, my boundless altruism continues to amaze even me. Knowing that your big reveal is today (April 30th), when you bedazzle us all with your latest photoshopped picture and remarkable weight-loss numbers, I thought I'd share this recent blog post with you from Cat's House of Fun.

Cat gives some excellent tips on what you're going to have to spend to wedge your abundant arse into comfortable seating at those Las Vegas shows you'll be taking in on your big trip to the Fun City in July.


"Las Vegas Show Tips for Fat Chicks

For those of us in the "fatter than average" category, oftentimes going to theatrical shows can be a problem. Live theaters are often fitted with the smallest seats on Earth. It's been years since I've been to a Broadway production in NYC, but man, I still remember the pain of the cheap, nosebleed TXTS seats we had for one performance. The seats were ultra narrow and the rows were just as narrow. I spent two + hours crammed into a seat with my thighs around the head of the person in front of me. No where to move. Aaack.

Anyway, for my recent birthday, I wanted to go with my friends to a show in Vegas that would be accomodating for the fatty-puffs in my crowd. The two that came up in my searches were the couch seating for Zumanity and the Wynn's VIP seating for La Reve. Zumanity was dark that week, so no luck there. La Reve showed no seats available for the nights we were there. Booo. I didn't have a lot of lead time, so I didn't find any other spots available. So, I pretty much trashed the idea.

To make a long story short, my sister ended up calling around while we were down there. She found out that La Reve had one VIP seat available and the rest of the party could sit in the row directly in front. BONUS! So, yeah, because it was my birthday celebration, I got the VIP ticket with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, my own sweet waitress, an LCD screen with underwater action...and...and...the most comfortable live theater seat I've ever experienced. ME! The fat chick! Comfortable at a live theater performance! Yeah, it was a good night! The champagne was good and the strawberries weren't half bad either.

The only drawback to the VIP seating -- the price. If you're going for a special occasion, the $200 isn't tooo...tooo...toooo bad. It's only ~$50 more than the regular seats, so if you're fat and fabulous (or even just fabulous) and looking to have a sweet water-filled theater experience in Vegas, check it out! Even the regular seats were larger than typical seats, not super comfortable for super-size, but not bad for average size people. Oh, and, I love the Wynn as a casino and restaurant stop, too -- extra comfy slot chairs and yummy food. A great all around experience in Vegas! Here's info on the show at the Wynn. "


Really looking forward to seeing you on The Strip, Kimmer. Won't we have a time?





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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS...


"He has all the virtues I dislike & none of the vices I admire."

-- Winston Churchill



"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure"

-- Clarence Darrow


"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)



"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."

-- Groucho Marx





"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."

-- Mark Twain




"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."

-- Oscar Wilde



"I am enclosing 2 tickets to the 1st night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one."

-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill...

followed by Churchill's response:

"Cannot possibly attend 1st night, will attend 2nd, if there is one."

-- Winston Churchill




"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."

-- Stephen Bishop



"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."

-- John Bright



"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."

-- Irvin S Cobb



"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."

-- Samuel Johnson



"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."

-- Paul Keating



"He had delusions of adequacy."

-- Walter Kerr



"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"

-- Mark Twain


"His mother should have thrown him away & kept the stork."

-- Mae West



"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."

-- Oscar Wilde

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Monday, April 28, 2008

OUR MAN IN HIDING: GARY FONTAINE of KIMKINS



Well, the LCF mods are at it again on the Fascination thread...deleting and chopping posts.

The latest flurry of post cleansing is continuing as a result of uber-sleuth thetruthinhiding (TTIH) posting information about Gary Fontaine, one of Kimmer's lackeys at Kimkins.con. Gary has earned a rather sordid reputation for, among other things, leaving obnoxious, nasty, and offensive comments on AmyB's blog.



thetruthinhiding's beautiful avatar



On April 21, 2008, TTIH posted this in response to a post of HoneyBee2's:





"Quote:


Originally Posted by HoneyBee2


Hi Amy I am days behind on blog posts of everyone, but I just
commented about one of the people posting to you there on your blog.

Did you note their screen name- vatefairefoutrelol

I looked at it and thought if you break the name down into parts it reads:
va te faire foutre lol

va te faire foutre


It is a French expletive of “go .... yourself”
and of course lol
Meaning to "laugh out loud."

Their comments on your blog all make since now.....I wonder who it could be?!?!? "


That is Gary. lasttime4me, Admin at KK."

LINK:


http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/10218060-post1430.html



Well, with that bombshell from TTIH comes his/her next post on 04-22-2008, 08:17 AM:


"Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyBee2
Thanks for the info T-
Do you say that based on the IP that Amy had posted with the comment or based on the email addy or the screen name or how did you determine it was Gary? "

Call it an educated guess. But I is very edumacated.

We have Gary's phone number if anyone wants to ask him if it was him."


So AmyB takes up TTIH's offer, calls Gary, and has yet to receive a response from him. To think that a grown man would make such offensive and hateful remarks about AmyB and her son, Philip, is truly mind-boggling.

Now the story takes a twist...literally. LCF mods get their knickers in a twist and start deleting Gary's info as posted by TTIH.

Next comes an edict from Cheri, one of the LCF mods, which TTIH has quoted in the following post:


"Quote:
Originally Posted by cheri
Here is a
reminder... Please PLEASE
do not post someones name and personal information
on this site. It is not
allowed. I am sure most of you wouldn't like it if
people posted your name and
address on a message board for thousands of
people to see. There are also those
that will end up calling the person or
their work to harrass or cause problems
in their real lives and it could get
you into a lot of trouble.

First names are okay... last names,
addresses, phone numbers and emails are not
allowed so please stop doing it
immediately.

Thank you!

cheri"


It just came to my attention that Gary's last name was also edited out. I have to inquire why? I understand swalt, but Gary WORKS for Heidi as a paid admin. I didn't post his home address or phone number or anything. We can say Heidi Diaz, but we can't say Gary Fontaine? How about Delaney Deaver? These are paid minions of Heidi and as such have no right to privacy protection by LCF. Yes, I know Gary contacted LCF and threatened police action, but if we start falling victim to intimidation, what good are we? I'll wait patiently to see what happens to this post before I decide my next course of action. It is a shame because I really enjoy conversing with the good folks here, but if I can't say Fontaine, I'll take it elsewhere. Shame!

ETA: The info I posted was researched via publically available (or semi-publically available to anyone in Kimkins). There was no reason to censor it. You would have us allow Heidi's paid minions to hide behind a cloak of LCF? What about the tag put on LittleSina outing her as Singinglass? Is it ok, as long as an admininstrator does it? Let's have an open discussion about this here. Disappearing posts in what happens inside Kimkins.
__________________

Blog: The TRUTH Starts Here
04-28-2008, 09:56 AM"


And then TOM RODDY, owner of Netrition and Grand Poobah of LCF, replies to TTIH:


"We will take your word for now that Gary is a paid Kimkins administrator.

I am not aware of any threatened police action or legal action to LCF by Gary or anyone else from Kimkins.

In general, we don't want this site being used to aid in the harassment or slandering of other people or businesses. There will be many judgment calls made by admins in what not to allow - and we ask for your patience and understanding since we often don't have complete information but plenty of complaints from both sides.

We occasionally read this thread and some of the blogs, but please understand that the admins are not able to keep up with everything that is going on in this or all the other topics discussed on this board. We ask for your help in bringing our attention to areas that need to be addressed.

We do not claim to offer full freedom of speech here, but we attempt to be fair in permitting discussions according to our Terms of Service. If there are topics that you would like to discuss that are not appropriate for this board, feel free to take it to your own personal blog or another message board.
04-28-2008, 12:05 PM "



And then TTIH responds to Tom:

"Thanks Tom. I understand that full freedom of speech cannot be offered here, and nor do most of us expect it. There are a growing number of disgruntled folks who do disagree with where the lines are drawn and how inconsistently they seem to be drawn. Thanks for the open/honest response.

ETA:
Well, I got what I consider to be a decent reply from Tom, and then, just now I get an infraction in my PM for the same exact post. Oh well. Not supposed to mention that here.
04-28-2008, 12:09 PM "



Sorry to hear you received another infraction, TTIH. Once those start piling up, you'll be added to the ban roster at LCF, so watch your back.

Now, let's get back to Heidi's bag man, Gary Fontaine. For those who are unfamiliar with Gary, here again is his photograph which has been posted all over the internet, so please spare me whining e-mails that I got it from inside KK...I didn't:





And for those who feel compelled to get to know him better, the following should provide you with enough information to do so:



LINK to Gary's PUBLIC information on the internet:

http://www.whitepages.com/search/FindPerson?extra_listing=mixed&form_mode=opt_b&post_back=1&firstname_begins_with=1&firstname=gary&name=Fontaine&street=&city_zip=&state_id=CT&localtime=survey

And be sure to read Mariasol's excellent post on Gary Fontaine here. It's a thing of beauty:


http://mariasol-mariasol.blogspot.com/2007/11/kimkins-admin-gary.html

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

SHOCKING DIARY OF A YOUNG PRO ANA/MIA GIRL...



After clicking on a Google search that had landed on my blog, I followed a link to this diary of a young girl chronicling her journey in the pro-ana/mia lifestyle. Her last post was in September of 2006, which concerns me to no end. Why did she stop posting? Is she still alive?

Here are some of her diary entries:

"so today i had 2 100 cal cookie snacks so 200 cals and a cup of ice tea 120 cals so 320 cals and ima work off like 100 and somthing cals so im doing good i mean like its better then eatting 400 cals lol will im sleepy and ima go to bed now

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"okay its 12:44 here and i basically just woke up,

I did 50 sit ups

and 100 jumping jacks and im about to belly dance for an hour or two......hopefully

i did binge today but on pupose my plan was to get it out of my system tomorrow ima try to have an intake of 300 cal using that diet plan that i've writen earlier and ima do 200 jump n jacks and 100 sit ups and if i wake up early enough then ima try to go to the park and jog till i drop lol

Food intake of today:

2 Ribs drowned in bbq sauce- 477

some 2 celery sticks -neg cals

some 1/2 a cup of peas- 60 cals

and 2 slices of pizza 814 cals

Sit-ups: 50 cals >.> i should have did them longer i did like 50 cals so i guess 1 cal per sit up

jumping jacks: 50 cals <>.<> ........-sighs-

612 cals- belly dancing

~~~~~~~~~~

Back and better then b4

3 hashbrowns 180

ketchup-45

oil-140

patty-140

Cookies-100cal

Total-605

Can i burn 200 cals b4 the nights over??? I hope so

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cal intake: 1,351

burned: 712

total cal intake -639

>.> its ookay i guess

Sit-ups: 50 cals >.> i should have did them longer i did like 50 cals so i guess 1 cal per sit up

jumping jacks: 50 cals <>.<> ........-sighs-

612 calsso i burned 712 calories.......ima go do some more sit ups"


"FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASSFATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASSFATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS FATASS "


"The 6 Meal-a-Day Plan


Rule 1: you must eat something (which can be anything!) every 2 hours.

Rule 2: whatever you eat must not be less than 50 calories and STRICTLY not more than 100 calories.

Rule 3: the total number of meals per day should be 6.

Rule 4: you cannot eat or drink anything with calories during any of the intervals between meals.

There are only 4 rules and so it is quite easy to follow (if I could do it then so can ALL of you!)

Otherwise, you are free to eat what you like only as long as you keep within the rules.

The word "eat" in the above rules also covers beverages - and it's very important that calories from beverages are counted as part of that particular meal.

Although it seems to involve a lot of eating, basically you'd be falling within a daily caloric intake of between 300 and 600. <<>

You'd be having 300 calories per day if you have 6 meals of 50 calories each, and if you do the maximum and have 6 meals of 100 calories each you'd be having 600 calories per day which is still quite low!

The most important thing about this plan is the time schedule.

Here is how I do it:

Normally I don't have any appetite early in the morning, but the hunger pangs start biting mid-morning. So I take my first meal at 10:00 AM.

Then I must follow the 2-hourly pattern by the clock. This means I have to eat my meals at 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM, 6PM and 8PM sharp.

For those of you who don't wish to eat so late in the day you could plan it all 2 hours earlier, making the schedule 8AM, 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM and 6PM. You can make the 2 hour intervals as you like, at quarter past something, or at half past something... as long as they are spaced 2 hours apart.

For the plan to work it is vital that you DO eat at the planned times. Strictly never skip a meal, even if you're not hungry at all. This shouldn't be hard because you can easily take your 50 cals by having a glass of milk, juice or sucking on a couple of toffees. Basically anything at your whim provided it is between 50 and 100 calories. (Do opt for healthy foods though!)

Also very important is that you cannot, say, have a meal of 200 calories and try to make up for it by eating less than 50 cals for the following meals, or worse still by skipping meals.

Do not view the plan as a daily "minimum 300 maximum 600" day plan, because it is not. You might have been eating 500 cals per day, and continue eating 500 cals per day on this plan - the only difference would be the time schedule, and hopefully (very likely!) more weight loss!

We here have various eating patterns. I myself am always experimenting with eating and food!

For example: - allowing myself a maximum amount of daily calories and the less calories I total at the end of the day the more success I feel I have had... - or starving myself and eating only as little as possible and only when the hunger pains become too hard to bear... - or allotting myself a given amount of calories and having some for breakfast, some for lunch and some for dinner... - or 'saving' the daily allotted calories for 'spending' on one meal per day... - or fasting for as long as possible...

I am not saying that the above methods are not good or do not work for weight-loss, neither am I saying that the 6 Meal-a-Day plan is definitely the best for all. If you are following another plan right now, and are feeling great throughout the day, and are losing weight at a rate you are happy with, then there is no need to change plans.

However, I really do suggest this plan: - if you are always trying to fast but spoil it by losing control and binging (like me!); or - if although you are eating very little calories you are not losing weight because your metabolic rate has dropped; or - if you don't like the idea of depriving yourself of 'naughty' food; or - if you are suffering heartburn caused by excess stomach acid; or - if you have dizzy or fainting spells when you don't eat for a long time; or - if your job or studies demand alertness and a high level of concentration which you can't maintain due to lack of food or distraction caused by hunger pains; or - if you have diabetes or suffer from hypoglycemia (frequent and regular food intake helps keep the blood sugar level stable)"


SMELLS LIKE KIMKINS TO ME :^(


If you are following the pro-ana/mia lifestyle or are suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or any other eating disorder, please click on the following post:


ARE YOU ANOREXIC / BULIMIC / PRO ANA / PRO MIA ?

IF YOU ANSWERED "YES," PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO ON THE ABOVE POST
(WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE)



LINK:

I have not posted the link to protect this girl's identity.

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Friday, April 25, 2008

SUE WALTER / SWALT / SIMPLEANNIE / COSTA...YOU ARE ONE PIECE OF WORK...UPDATED!


Sue Walter aka swalt aka simpleannie aka Costa


UPDATE:

Anonymous said:
"BTW, this is against Blogger Terms Of Service.
You've been flagged!"

Medusa said:
"Well, I beg to differ. The photograph of Sue Walter and the post was copied from a post which appeared in a PUBLIC Internet forum called "Low Carb Friends." The post may be found here:


http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/10235240-post1665.html

The copying of a post which appears in a PUBLIC forum is NOT a violation of Blogger's TOS."

~~~~~~~~~~



Well, the admins at LCF have been trigger-happy today with the old delete button, haven't they? Too bad they weren't quicker on the draw because one awesome blogger managed to save thetruthinhiding's post and photograph of Sue Walter, who just so happens to be our favourite spewer of pro-Kimkins rhetoric on the blogs.

Here's thetruthinhiding's post again for those who missed seeing Sue Walter's photograph before LCF deleted it:

"simpleannie and Costa are both:



Sue Walter, a 46 year old mother of 3 from St. Marys, OH
'swalt' to her friends on KK for the last 10 months

Tell her what she has won folks…"


Well, swalt has been making the rounds of the anti-KK blogs for quite awhile. Take a gander at the comment she left (posting as "anonymous") on my blog post dated January 20, 2008:

"Anonymous said...

This is so sad, so many people who have dedicated their lives to this. There are so many more jobs out there that would help people out more, maybe a shelter or pantry. Put this energy into helping others with physical labor instead of just typing..

Makeing little comments directed at Kimmer, or the Kimkins way of eating..how old are you. Grow up and do something useful. These people will take care of themselves, the starving people on the street can't, please help them. Be a big brother, or big sister or something.

This is really getting old.

FYI I am an adult female, 46yr, I lost 62 lbs in less than 4 months, did not take laxatives, minor hair loss, no heart palpitations, and a clean bill of health for my family Dr. I have maintained my wt loss since the first of October and no signs of anorexia, I weigh 150lbs, and am very happy at this wt. I am an adult, therefor I made this decision on my own and it was the best decision I have made in a very long time..Thank you Kimkins.

January 20, 2008 11:51 AM"

~~~~~~~~~~

AND MY RESPONSE:

Medusa said...

"Anonymous...I'll tell you what's "sad"...Kimkinites following Kimmer's advice (when she doesn't follow it herself) who end up starving themselves and ruining their health. That's what's sad.

And who are you to say we don't help others out in shelters, etc?

Yeah, I agree with you...it is getting old...because of people like you who continue to support Heidi Diaz and her starvation diet plan. You and other Kimkinites can personally hold yourselves responsible for the perpetuation of this diet.

And if you think you've gotten off scot-free healthwise by following Kimkins, give yourself a few months and then come back to me and tell me how you're managing with your thyroid whacked, your hair falling out in clumps, chest pains, etc. I'd love to hear from you then.

Now, do something useful yourself and go stick your head back in the sand. I've had it with you and your like who are so blind that you can't see that the woman whose diet you're following is an admitted liar, thief, scam artist, and fraud who never lost a pound following her own Kimkins starvation diet, who is still morbidly obese, and used fake Russian Bride "before and after" pictures to depict herself.

With people like you visiting her website and buying into her weight-loss plan, she made $1.4 million through fraud and deception. If that is the kind of person you wish to be associated with, then good on ya', honey.

Now buzz off. I have work to do bringing that scammer and her diet down."

~~~~~~~~~~


AND BAMAGAL'S RESPONSE:

BamaGal said...

"Medusa---very well said!!

As for anonymous, let me explain to you about caring for your fellow man. I happen to do alot of volunteer work for the homeless, animal shelter, domestic violence, and a host of others.

What the same hill do you do?

I join Medusa in saying I am sick to death of all the Kimkinites spouting about how the diet is fine and they lost weight. Whoopee dee do dah----starvation diets have long term consequences. Watch and see. You have forever changed your body. FOREVER. Not just a few months but the rest of your now shortened life.

An obese person can die from malnutrition quicker than a thinner person can.

Also see me in a year---the weight you lost will be right back plus some with it and you pay hell trying to diet ever again.

January 20, 2008 1:11 PM"

~~~~~~~~~~

AND MJR'S RESPONSE:

kimkinscam said...

"Hey Anonymous,

So, I guess if it's worked for you and you "have seen" no adverse conditions, then it MUST be a "healthy diet"? Huh? What about ALL THOSE THAT ARE SUFFERING? What about all those that have ruined their health by following this unhealthy diet? What about those that ARE STARVING and dealing with VERY DANGEROUS eating disorders because of following the Kimkins diet plan to the tee?

You have no compassion or empathy for them?

You think because they are adults then it's OK to ruin their health.

I'll tell you what's SAD. Sad, is when a 46 year old adult can't see past their own stupidity to "see" the big picture. You could starve yourself all by yourself, without paying $80 to a scam artist. Anyone can loose weight by NOT EATING! But to sit there and say that just because you've seen no adverse effects in yourself - means that it must be healthy, is just plain stupidity. You can't possibly speak for all who've joined that site and followed that diet. You can't possibly "know" what others have had to deal with when it comes to their own health. Who are you to speak for them. Who are you to preach to the anti kimkins folks about what they should or should not be doing? What are you doing to help others? What are you doing to help your fellow kimkinites from falling into the dreaded eating disordered black hole?

Are you telling others on the kimkins forums to NOT use laxatives daily? Are you telling them that if they are losing handfuls of hair that they should eat more? Are you telling them if they are having heart palpitations that they should stop following the diet and see their doctor. Are you telling them that FOOD is not the ENEMY?
I've read the posts over there and NO WHERE do I see ANYONE preaching those things to those that are struggling.

If anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it should be YOU!
For continuing the perpetuation of a FRAUD! Your "seal of approval" could actually kill someone. Have you ever thought about that?

I agree with Medusa, Go Stick Your Head Back In The Sand!!! Because it's people like you who are helping to hurt so many. Once you come out of the "protective confines" of the Kimkins forums and start defending that crazy diet, you open yourself up to all that you get.

Oh, and congratulations on your weight loss. I do honestly hope that you "tweaked" the diet to be more healthy and that you do not have to come back here, down the road, and admit that you have ruined your health (like others have).
Now, THAT WOULD BE SAD!!!!

January 20, 2008 1:47 PM "

TO READ THE REST OF THE RESPONSES, CLICK HERE:


KIMKINS DIET & HEIDI DIAZ (KIMMER) GET KICKED TO THE CURB ON ABC'S GOOD MORNING AMERICA !!!


Now, the story doesn't end there. MJR (Kimkinscam) followed up with a blog post to swalt, which is a thing of beauty. The link to MJR's post is on my post here:

Before posting my "Hey Anonymous" post, I received confirmation that swalt was, in fact, anonymous. Take a moment to read the comment section of this blog post where I dropped a few hints as to who anonymous was.

And to read the most recent pro-KK comments by Sue Walter, posting as Costa, check out BamaGal's post here:

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

KIMMER & SINGINGLASS: ONE OF YOUR KIMKINS MEMBERS COULD BE IN TROUBLE...



I have been contacted by a current member of Kimkins who is extremely worried about another one of your members (who I will call "Valley Girl") who has posted the above photo in her signature line, saying it is her "goal" to look like the young girl in the photo.

The Kimkins member who contacted me is afraid to post her concerns directly to Valley Girl on your site because she is fearful of being banned and losing contact with her friends.

It is quite obvious that the young girl in the photo has an eating disorder, which is evident from her protruding hip bones and extremely thin arms. It is a classic "thinspiration" photo.

Your KK member has provided me with Valley Girl's username. Valley Girl is planning on going to Las Vegas with other KK members, so you should be able to track her down with that information and the above photo.

From her posts, Valley Girl appears to "want it bad enough," so she could be on her way to a serious eating disorder.

Perhaps you could direct Valley Girl to this tragic post on the blog, Weighing the Facts:

WEIGHING THE FACTS: Professor Rosemary Pope Dies Of Anorexia At Age 49

I am hoping you both do the right thing and tell Valley Girl she could be courting physical and emotional disaster.

The Kimkins member who contacted me advised that she will keep me updated with any and all posts you make to Valley Girl, so she is anxiously awaiting your intervention in this matter.

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A JAW-DROPPING GOOGLE SEARCH...UPDATED


Girl at Mirror by Norman Rockwell
The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1954 (cover)


Occasionally, I will check Statcounter to see what Google searches are hitting my blog, and as you can see from the list below, most relate to eating disorders.

As I looked down the list of hits on my blog today, my jaw dropped. Take a look at the keyword list compiled at 2:11 this afternoon:

Keyword Analysis (Medusa) 23rd April 2008 02:11:30 PM

Num Perc. Search Term

22 18.64% isabelle caro
5 4.24% controversy pro-ana mia websites
4 3.39% jimmy hoffa found
4 3.39% ana mia
4 3.39% child anorexic
3 2.54% medusa kimkins
3 2.54% mike & juliette diabetes 2008/04
3 2.54% polly williams
3 2.54% isabel caro blog
2 1.69% pro-ana
2 1.69% low carb chocolate macaroons
2 1.69% thin polly williams
2 1.69% interview with lady who posted divorce on utube
2 1.69% ana y mia
1 0.85% bryony flicker devon
1 0.85% how to make a mini jungle gym
1 0.85% campcarbaway
1 0.85% 2 medusa blogspot
1 0.85% thin documentary shelley update
1 0.85% ana mia hair loss
1 0.85% how do i give myself worms lose weight fast
1 0.85% sort of beans
1 0.85% johnny diaz,brother of fawn diaz
1 0.85% proana abc diet
1 0.85% pro ana how to palpitations
1 0.85% low-carb biscuits soy flour
1 0.85% heidi diaz diabetic
1 0.85% johnny giovanni righini
1 0.85% i'm a child anorexic bbc
1 0.85% 2 model daughters died of anorexia clothing line to pr
1 0.85% bulimia he
1 0.85% pro ana faeries
1 0.85% hila elmalich photo
1 0.85% black women domination submission
1 0.85% magicchickendiet
1 0.85% isabell caro
1 0.85% pro ana boot camp
1 0.85% french law to a band pro ana and mia adds
1 0.85% pro ana blog fast
1 0.85% isabelle caro childhood
1 0.85% nicole richie anorexic
1 0.85% amy atkinsons toes
1 0.85% young anorexic interview - abc news
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1 0.85% medusa anti kimins
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1 0.85% is it myself staring back at me through this mirror? it cannot possibly be. i think i remember a time different than this. though, it is vague.
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1 0.85% diffuse esophageal spasm bulimia


If you missed it, the search relates to worms. I was floored when I read that. How very sad.


UPDATE:

I have received e-mails from people who believe the search to be a joke.

For those who are unfamiliar with the ingestion of beef tapeworms by individuals to effect weight loss, please check this website:




PHOTO LINK:

http://artchive.com/artchive/R/rockwell/rockwell_mirror.jpg.html

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A TOUCHING REMEMBRANCE OF A DEARLY DEPARTED'S TALENTS...


As I was reading the Cards of Thanks on the obituary page this morning, I came across this piece of wonderment...

(NOTE: The deceased's surname has been changed to "John Doe")

DOE - "The family of the late John Doe would like to extend a very heart felt thank-you to everyone who has expressed their sympathy through cards, flowers, donations, and especially all the kind words, open arms, thoughts and prayers.

John will be sadly missed by all his friends and family. His patience and eye for laying tile and his extensive knowledge of satellite dishes will be an obvious void in the lives of his family and friends... A memorial mass will be held in honour of John on Saturday, April 26th at 7pm, at..."

Laying tile? Extensive knowledge of satellite dishes? WTH? I'm thinking John might have had a talent for hacking satellite signals :^)

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WHY THE MAGIC CHICKEN DIET DIED...

(Click screenshot to enlarge)

(Click screenshot to enlarge)

Bonnie Luper, Founder of the Magic Chicken Diet


Well, from all appearances, the only people barely sustaining life on the Magic Chicken Diet are Bonnie and her sock puppets. The forum is dead as a doornail and Bonnie is MIA, as usual.

I'd wager the reason for its failure to catch the dieting world by storm is the main staple of the diet: chicken...and canned chicken, to boot.

Now, canned chicken tops my list as one of the most disgusting things imaginable. It's right up there with tripe, tongue, and sweetbreads.

For those who do enjoy a hearty lunch of canned chicken, I thought you might be interested in this little news item.

A question was asked by Toronto's Kirsten Thompson in the Globe and Mail this past week regarding "mechanically de-boned chicken."

Here is John Matthewson's response:

Mechanically de-boned chicken, he writes, is where "the meat is not cut off the bone using the traditional methods. Think of it as a horizontal hydraulic press. In the case of mechanically de-boned chicken, the raw material, usually the backs and necks," is compressed by two powerful pistons in a cylinder that contains many small holes.

"The soft material, which is the meat, is extruded through the holes, collected and used in food products while the compressed bone is dropped out of the bottom of the machine and rendered."

Now, how gross is that? No wonder Bonnie's finding it difficult to whip up enthusiasm for her "magic" canned chicken diet.

If you look at the screen shots above taken today of the Magic Chicken website, you'll see there are still red "x"s where the pictures of her members' "Success Stories" should be. Who are her success stories? Why are they so reticient in allowing their pictures to be posted on her site? I'm willing to wager there are no success stories, ergo no pictures.

And, Bonnie, I'm still waiting for an answer as to what happened to all of your excess skin. If you had plastic surgery, which I highly suspect (not that there's anything wrong with that), at least be truthful about it. And what about the rumour circulating that you had gastric bypass surgery? So many questions, and no forthcoming answers.

My previously-posted questions to Bonnie can be found here:



Hope to hear from you, Bonnie, so we can finally put this mechanically de-boned magic chicken to rest. RIP

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A FAT BELLY MAY FUEL DESIRE TO EAT MORE...



From the London Free Press...

"Belly fat breeds fat

by John Miner, Sun Media
Tue, April 15, 2008


Your belly fat could be making you hungrier, triggering you to eat more and making you even fatter, London scientists have discovered.

“It is a vicious cycle,” said Lawson Health Research’s Dr. Kaiping Yang, a professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Yang and his colleagues have discovered the hormone that stimulates appetite in the brain, neuropeptide, is also produced in abdominal fat. Previously it was believed it was made only in the brain.

If, as the Lawson scientists now suspect, neuropeptide from belly fat makes it into the blood stream and to the brain, it could explain why some people just get fatter and fatter.

“You put on pounds and produce more NPY (neuropeptide) and more NPY and it travels to the brain. Now you are hungry and need to eat,” Yang said. “This could explain why obese people are constantly hungry.” There’s more bad news.

Neuropeptide also increases the number of fat cells by stimulating the replication of fat cell precursor cells. The precursor cells then change into fat cells.

The Lawson researchers are working to confirm neuropeptide produced in abdominal fat makes its way into the blood stream, Yang said.

If that’s proven, it could open the door to new treatments for obesity that block neuropeptide production in fat cells.

“To get into the area of the brain where NPY is produced, it is very, very difficult. Targeting fat is much easier. With fat we could inject a chemical to inhibit NPY production,” Yang said. Abdominal fat has been identified as more dangerous than other fat, raising the risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers.

It would be much easier to use drugs to prevent obesity than to treat the diseases caused by fat, Yang said."

And from Newstrack India:

"Yang said, “This may lead to a vicious cycle where NPY produced in the brain causes you to eat more and therefore gain more fat around your middle. And then that fat produces more NYP hormone, which leads to even more fat cells.”

“If you can detect NPY early and identify those at risk for abdominal obesity, we can then target therapy to turn off NPY,” Yang said.

"It would be much easier to use drugs to prevent obesity than to treat the diseases caused by obesity," he added."


LINKS:
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08_02/OverweightREX_468x313.jpg
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/3163
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2008/04/15/5294826.html

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SOME THINGS TO PONDER...


I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt."

Who was the first person to eat a lobster?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?




LINK TO IMAGE:

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

SO WHO WILL WIN THE PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY TONIGHT?






















Senator Barack Obama
























Oops, sorry! Wrong picture.





















Senator Hillary Clinton


UPDATE: Well, Hillary won PA. I'm off to cry in my duck soup.

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HONEY, YOU HAD A CALL...



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Monday, April 21, 2008

A PLEA TO "ANONYMOUS"...


On my post, ARE YOU ANOREXIC / BULIMIC / PRO ANA / PRO MIA ?, the following comment was posted yesterday:

"Anonymous said...

i couldn't watch the whole thing.

i've been suffering from bulimia for over four years now and every time i have a stomach pain, i get scared. this video brought me to tears. no one understands that you don't choose to become bulimic.

it's a horrible disease i hope that one i can get help before i end up like that girl, because i too am just 94 pounds. god, this makes me wish i could get help before then so badly.

April 20, 2008 2:34 AM"


Anonymous, I am re-posting your comment here because the following responses were posted, which I'm afraid you might not have seen:

"Medusa said...
(((Anonymous))

My heart breaks for you. Please call one of the hotlines below for help:

Bulimia/Anorexia Self Help Hotline: 800- 227-4785
Eating Disorders Hotline: 800- 448-4663
Anorexia Nervosa and Associate Disorders 847-831-3438
Youth Crisis Line: 800- HIT-HOME
Thursday's Child National Call Center for at Risk Youth: 800-USA-KIDS
Boys and girls Town National Hotline: 800- 448-3000
Kids Help Phone (Canada): 800-668-6868
The Eating Distress Helpline (Ireland):011-44-2600366
Referrals to Eating Disorder specialists (US and Canada) 800-736-3739
The National Mental Health Association Information Center: 800-969-NMHA

The phone numbers above are from the blog Weighing the Facts, which is a wonderful resource blog for those who are suffering from bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders. Please take a moment to read the very important and helpful posts there regarding bulimia.

There is also a great website called We Bite Back, and it has support and resource forums for those who are suffering from bulimia and other eating disorders. Please check it out here:

We Bite Back.

Much love to you, anonymous, and I hope you seek help immediately.

All the very best to you in your recovery,

~ Medusa

April 20, 2008 11:12 AM"

~~~~~~~~~~

"MrsMenopausal said...

{{{{{Anonymous}}}}}}}}

Please reach out for help. Tell someone. If you are a minor, seek out a trusted adult and tell them.There are many resources to help you. Call one or more of the numbers Medusa has listed.

Here are some resources listed on my blog:
Resources

We Bite Back is an excellent site where you'll find so much support, information, and guidance. Please check it out, post, ask for help.

Here is the website for Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous:
Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous

The first step is to reach out. As hard as that may feel to you, it is key. Please do it.

I wish you all the best. If I can help in any way please let me know.

April 20, 2008 11:50 AM"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Muse said...

You would be welcome at We Bite Back. We all positively encourage one another towards recovery, sustained health and happiness. It is possible with the support of others.

On We Bite Back, we feel that by supporting one another and striving to live healthier for the sake of our friends we make online is a big part of the recovery process. We influence each other. We learn from each other.

Bulimia can be beaten. Sometimes we need help getting ourselves back on track and there's no shame in that. Food issues strike most people at some point in their lives. Strive to prolong the period of time between purges. When you slip up and purge again, count the time you went without a purge and work on beating your time. Each time, work harder to prolong the time since the last time you resorted in purging. Find better coping mechanisms for your negative emotions when they come up. Know what situations, people and thoughts trigger your behavioral patterns.

Make friends, even anonymously, who will be a positive influence in your struggle to beat this. That will make all the difference.

April 20, 2008 12:43 PM"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Rachel said...

ANONYMOUS:

please, i would just like to join the others in urging you to seek recovery. i think that medusa's powerful blog can be a jumping point for you - allow it to push you into rebuilding your life!

i know you can do it. i believe that bulimia can be beaten. i wouldn't have said that myself even a year ago, but i truly believe in your recovery with all my heart.

please do join us at WeBiteBack.com - Muse's site is a thing of beauty and the support of the over two thousand wise, caring and totally understanding recovering individuals is indescribably valuable.

recovery IS real. the way you live can change.
there is hope and possibility.

i'm rachel, you are most welcome to email me at any time.

xxxxxxxoxoxoxoxoxx.
take care.

April 20, 2008 1:25 PM"

~~~~~~~~~~

Anonymous, please call one of the hotline numbers listed above and join We Bite Back. You will receive all the support you need to recover and regain your health. Hugs to you.

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Sunday, April 20, 2008

ANOREXIA: LAURA CROSS FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE...



(Left: Laura Cross before her battle with anorexia nervosa...
Right: Laura Cross today as she fights for her life)


"Anorexic wants young girls to see the truth

Woman fighting for her life says eating disorder has horrifying results


by BOBBIE-LYNN HALL
The Bedford Sackville Weekly News
April 18, 2008

Laura has great plans for her life - plans that, to someone else, may not seem extraordinary. She wants a career, to travel and get married, but for now those plans are in jeopardy.

After suffering with anorexia nervosa for nine years, 25-year-old Laura Cross is finally facing the fact that she will probably lose her life if she doesn't find a way to beat the deadly eating disorder.

She is currently in the hospital for health issues directly related to anorexia, and she has recently been transferred from intensive care to a room at the QEII Hospital. Just two weeks ago, she slipped into a coma, but she came back and she's ready to start her fight all over again.

"I've tried so hard," said Cross from her hospital bed, "but every time I take one step forward, I fall back three. Thoughts and fears race through my head every minute of the day. It (the disorder) consumes my mind."

Unfortunately, having the courage to fight is not always enough. There are facilities designed to treat patients with eating disorders, but they come at a high cost. Last week, Cross's closest friends Meredith Copp and Allison Coffin held a benefit auction to help raise money, and although $2,700 is an impressive amount for a small auction, it would barely cover one day at some facilities.

"My parents said they would sell their house," said Cross, "but I won't let them do it; I can't."

Cross grew up in Sackville and went through elementary and junior high there.

Her eating disorder began when she started high school.

"I saw the pictures of models in the magazines and on television," she said. "I know now that they were unhealthy and that they were airbrushed, but I didn't know that then."

Cross wants to let every young person out there know what they're seeing is not real. And as desperate as she is to fight for herself, she's just as desperate to get the message out there of how horrifying this disorder is.

"This is not glamorous," she said. "It's ugly and it messes with your body, and with your mind. I can see in pictures how awful and sick I look, but when I look in the mirror I pinch my skin and I see fat. It's not something you can just quit cold turkey; it's not like that. I want to beat it, I want to be OK, but I'm constantly fighting that angel and devil on my shoulder and the devil usually wins."

Cross will stay in the hospital until she's stronger. She has a long battle ahead of her with many things to conquer, including other health issues related to the anorexia.

"I have to deal with this first," she said of the disorder. "Right now, it's about making this part of me healthy. I'll deal with the other things one at a time when I'm able."

Cross doesn't know her current weight because she's not permitted to look at the scale when she's being weighed. She does know that her BMI (body mass index) is under 15.

To have a BMI less than 15, a five-foot-five woman would have to weigh less than 89 lbs.

Cross's family and friends are continuing to raise money to go toward her treatment..."


LINK:
http://www.bedfordsackvillenews.ca/index.cfm?sid=127070&sc=218

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Saturday, April 19, 2008

HOW *NOT* TO DO A DUI TEST...


LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1VmGjJJFrc

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ARE THINNESS LAWS TOO HEAVY-HANDED?



The death on November 15, 2006 of anorexic model Ana Carolina Reston has those close to her hoping the fashion industry will finally wake up to the dangers of the eating disorder.

Reston, 21, a Brazilian model who weighed only 88 pounds at the time of her death, succumbed to a generalized infection caused by anorexia nervosa, officials at Sao Paulo's Servior Publico Hospital said.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday, I linked to MrsMenopausal's blog, Weighing the Facts, and her post focusing on We Bite Back, a post-pro-anorexic website created by Sharon Hodgson. Sharon was interviewed and is quoted in the following excellent article which appeared in today's edition of The Globe & Mail:

"Moved by concerns over skinny models, countries have begun the controversial measure of applying legislation to the catwalks


by SIRI AGRELL
April 19, 2008

When Brylie Fowler was choosing models for a fashion spread in the second edition of her London-based magazine, Plastique, she settled on a girl whose portfolio indicated that she had a healthy, athletic frame.

But Ms. Fowler, who grew up in Oakville, Ont., said the model who arrived had a 23-inch waist and was so tiny that she resembled a baby deer as she struck the exaggerated poses of high fashion. The resulting photographs of her in a Dolce & Gabbana gown, Ms. Fowler said, were too frightening to print.

And so the magazine decided to use a common industry technique, airbrushing the image before it went to press to change the girl's appearance.

Except in this case, it made her bigger.

"It doesn't look good," Ms. Fowler said yesterday of emaciated frames. "And I'm in the business of making things look good."

The fashion industry is having a similar image crisis these days. It has been accused of promoting extreme thinness for decades, finally leading several countries to take legislative action.

This week, France introduced a law that would make it a crime to "incite" people to thinness on websites, magazines and in advertisements. In 2006, Spain announced that models must have a minimum body mass index, or height-to-weight ratio, of 18, or be banned from the runways.

And some haute couture heavyweights seem to be taking note. In the April issue of Vogue, the Prada-wearing devil herself, Anna Wintour, encouraged designers to "consider athleticism and vitality as assets in the wearing of great fashion."

But is the fashion world simply paying pouty lip service or is the industry that gave us skinny jeans and standardized size zero really ready to declare that thin is out?

"People don't even really believe it; there's not any fear," said Ms. Fowler, who began her career at the Paris magazine Citizen K. "Is this law really going to change anorexic girls out there? Are we not going to take photos of Mary-Kate Olsen?"

Skepticism of the law and its impact has been expressed by fashion insiders around the globe.

French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier was quoted as saying: "This kind of problem cannot be resolved with laws," a sentiment repeated in Canada.

In October, a group of fashion designers from Milan, Italy, attended the L'Oréal Fashion Week in Toronto and asked Fashion Design Council of Canada president Robin Kay to sign a pledge not to use skinny models in the shows. She refused.

"I said I couldn't do it," she recalled yesterday. "I can have an opinion, but I'm not going to sign that. I have not seen a need for it on our runways."

Jeanne Beker, host of Fashion Television, said she understands the impetus behind the French legislation, but not how the government plans to enforce it.

"I find it very strange that people are trying to legislate an aesthetic," she said. "We don't want to promote unhealthy images, but who's to say what's really healthy? How would it look if people over a certain weight couldn't be shown?"

Ms. Beker believes the French law, if it is ultimately passed, would be a form of censorship. But more than that, she suggests that eagerness to blame fashion for eating disorders is a cultural witch hunt akin to demonizing gangster rap or violent video games.

Fashion is a business, she said, but also a fantasy, one that is produced at great effort with the explicit purpose of being non-representative.

"These images are not to be taken literally," she said. "At every photo shoot there are 50 people scurrying around trying to get that girl to look like that. It's a fairy tale."

But the problem with the fantasy defence, critics say, is the very real nightmare of women who take those images to heart, and who carve their bodies down to unnatural sizes and unhealthy states while studying the pages of Vogue.

In 2006, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died of anorexia-related illness at the age of 21 and a weight of just 88 pounds. Months earlier, 22-year-old Luisel Ramos walked off a runway in Uruguay and dropped dead from massive heart failure, also the result of starvation.

Images of the two women can be found among pictures of celebrities, such as the Olsen twins, Kate Bosworth and pre-pregnancy Nicole Richie on the so-called pro-anorexia, or "pro-ana," sites that propagate on the Internet. The French legislation also promised to crack down on these sites, where "thinspiration" photos are shared by anorexics ("anas") and bulimics ("mias") along with pictures that chronicle their own starvation.

"Imagine standing in front of the bathroom mirror and taking pictures of your abdomen every day and doing so because you want to compare all the photos to see if your efforts have led to any change," said Sharon Hodgson, a 30-year-old Web designer who lives in Halifax. "It's a recipe for insanity."

Having developed anorexia as a teen, a reaction to stress at school, she says, Ms. Hodgson entered the world of pro-ana sites in her 20s, and was soon working as a moderator on one called Miana, which has since been shut down.

Like many people who suffer from an eating disorder, she saw her weight as something over which she could exercise control, and she sought others online who "understood that coping mechanism."

The Internet was a place to trade tips and thinspiration photos, but also a vehicle to chronicle her disease, the very presence of other users acting as an incentive to push herself further toward death.

But, like the upper echelons of the fashion world to which she aspired, Ms. Hodgson said pro-ana sites are elitist, and one of her jobs was to keep out new members.

"You become strangely protective about not wanting other people to learn an eating disorder," she said.

In 2006, Ms. Hodgson went to a walk-in clinic and admitted to her disorder, only to be placed on a waiting list and never contacted again.

She now runs a website called webiteback.com that she describes as "post pro-ana," a recovery group that allows women to track their improving health instead of their downward spirals.

Creating the site helped her get healthy and she would like to see more education programs and community support for women with eating disorders.

But the French law makes her nervous, especially the move to criminalize pro-ana sites.

If she had been contacted by authorities during her days as a site moderator, Ms. Hodgson said that being treated as a criminal would have been devastating to her mental health.

"I wasn't very stable emotionally and it wouldn't have been pretty. I might have done something stupid or rash," she said. "It sounds like they're just going to throw all the mentally ill people in jail."

Stories like Ms. Hodgson's have prompted many health experts to support legislative action as a necessary next step.

Anne Elliott, the program director of Sheena's Place, a Toronto eating-disorder clinic, said there is no real divide between the world of fashion and those who consume it.

Sheena Carpenter, for whom the clinic was named, was told by a modelling agency at age 15 that her face was too wide and that she should investigate plastic surgery. She died in 1993, weighing just 50 pounds. If society isn't going to address that reality, Ms. Elliott said, perhaps the government should.

"How else is it going to change?" she asked.

Dr. Hany Bissada, of Ottawa's Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders, also supports the French legislation.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," he said. "It's not legislating weight; it's putting a minimum level of health for people to be able to participate in this industry."

Dr. Bissada believes that women with a BMI below 18, the threshold for starvation, should not be allowed to model.

"I would love to see that enforced in Canada," he said. "I'm not asking for jail time, but a fine would be good enough."

Penny Priddy, an MP with the NDP who has long followed health issues, said she does not believe legislative action is realistic, and believes more resources should be given to educating young people about positive body image.

"I don't know whether it would withstand a constitutional challenge or whether this would be considered censorship," she said. "Are you then going to say there can be no websites that can advertise how to gamble or mix a drink?"

From her experience in the world of fashion, Ms. Fowler does not believe that BMI is an adequate indicator of health. She knows many of the fashion it-girls held out as examples of extreme thinness, and said their body shape is the natural result of genetics and their young age.
Setting a mandatory minimum BMI in Spain had only one effect, she added. Models stopped travelling to shows there.

"I don't want anyone to suffer for fashion, but I don't think the law should come into it," she said. "The onus should be on the agency to make sure the girls they provide are healthy."

At least one agent is doing so.

Next month, Ben Barry, who owns a Toronto modelling agency, will lead a team of researchers in an international study as part of his PhD research at Cambridge University in England.

Mr. Barry's agency represents models of various racial backgrounds, heights, sizes and ages, and while his advocacy has landed him on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he said the industry-wide resistance to more inclusive images is palpable.

Although Dove, a beauty-products company, has had tremendous success with its "campaign for real beauty," which employs "real" models, Mr. Barry said, many do not believe that regular-sized women can be used to promote luxury brands.

To see whether this is true, his team will survey thousands of women in England, Canada, the United States, India, China and Brazil about how models of "traditional" and "plus" sizes affect their shopping habits and brand loyalty.

He hopes his results will make the fashion world take note, but until then, he doubts anything will change.

"As long as we approach this from a health-care perspective or a government perspective, change is not going to occur," he said. "Fashion is a business, and if we're going to make change, we have to use the language of business."



Anorexia: Criteria

The following are the American Psychiatric Association's published criteria for diagnosing anorexia nervosa.

Refusal

Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height. (For example, weight loss leading to body weight less than 85 per cent of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85 per cent of that expected.)

Fear

Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight, even though patient is underweight.

Denial

Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

Missing periods

Amenorrhea in postmenarchal females. (That is, the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman is considered to have amenorrhea if her periods occur only after hormone administration.)

>>American Family Physician

Anorexia: Consequences

A body suffering from anorexia nervosa is denied the nutrients it needs to function normally. To conserve energy, the body slows down, causing medical problems.

Heart

Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure. The risk for heart failure rises.

Bone

Reduction of bone density, which results in dry, brittle bones.

Muscle

Muscle loss and weakness.

Kidneys

Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure.

Energy

Fainting, fatigue and weakness.

Hair and skin

Dry hair and skin; hair loss is common.

Growth of a downy layer of hair called lanugo all over the body, including the face.

>>National Eating Disorders Association, www.nationaleatingdisorders. org



Body image and eating disorders

The results of a 1995 study show that women, when asked about their shape and what is considered ideal, consistently rated themselves as much heavier. Responses in men have shown that their ideas of attractive and actual are at about the same point. BMI stands for body mass index.

7 million women in the U.S. suffer from eating disorders, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders.

10% report onset of illness at 10 years or younger.

2% of Canadians are considered to be underweight.

18...

BMI below which doctors consider a person to have an eating disorder.

27...

Average Canadian BMI score.

38.9% of Canadians are considered to be a normal weight (18.5 to 24.9 BMI score)

59.1% of Canadians are considered to be overweight or obese.

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, ANAD.ORG, FEMALE FEAR OF FAT , FALLON AND ROZON STUDY (1985)


Click on the following links to read more about anorexia, bulimia, lanugo, Ana Carolina Reston, Luisel Ramos, France's new anorexia law, Sharon Hodgson & We Bite Back:


WARNING TO ANOREXICS: LANUGO IS NOT PRETTY


ISABELLE CARO and ANOREXIA: HER TRAGIC CHILDHOOD & HER CURRENT STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE...


HOW MANY MODELS HAVE TO DIE ?


THE DEADLY KIMKINS DIET & EATING DISORDERS...


KIMMER...MEET ISABELLE CARO...


FRANCE TABLES NEW "ANOREXIA" LAW


WE BITE BACK !




LINK:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080419.THIN19/TPStory//?pageRequested=all
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1560633,00.html

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